New Sleep Study

Sleep like a log? You can thank your spindles, rapidfire brain waves that act as blockades against noise during sleep, a new study says.

For the research, study co-author Jeffrey Ellenbogen of Harvard Medical School recruited 12 self-described sound sleepers to spend three nights in his "comfy" lab.

The first night, the sleepers were treated to quiet conditions. But during the next two nights, scientists bombarded the subjects with several types of sounds—including jet engine roars and toilet flushes—after the people had fallen asleep.

Brain wave readings revealed that the more spindles a person had, the more likely he or she could stay asleep through the barrage of noises ....

Of course, the pharmaceutical possibilities soon suggest themselves:

it may be possible to design a drug that would enhance spindles in light sleepers.

No kidding. Reminds me of the ground-breaking massive study that found that childbearing & breastfeeding were the primary ways to prevent breast cancer. The lead researcher, shocked at the results, said basically, "No one's going to change anything based on these findings, so we'll just ignore them and focus on a drug to replicate the results." 8 or so years later, she's finally getting her wish.

It would be interesting to learn how these spindles are affected by childbearing. I slept like a log - nothing could wake me up - until I had my first child and heard the slightest change in breathing and immediately came to her side. I was totally amazed that I could "hear" her.

It would be interesting to learn how these spindles are affected by childbearing. I slept like a log - nothing could wake me up - until I had my first child and heard the slightest change in breathing and immediately came to her side. I was totally amazed that I could "hear" her.

the brain is an amazing thing. I attribute that to the subconcious. I bet in periods where the person shouldnt sleep so sound, like when there is a newborn, the spikes are not so pronounced.